Empty Bowls Santa Barbara helps feed the hungry

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When I wrote a story in December on what inspires me to cook and mentioned my love for bowls, a reader wrote to tell me about the annual Empty Bowls Santa Barbara event. That’s where to find your next bowl, he said. And he kept his promise to give me a nudge when the event was getting closer. It takes place Sunday at Rockwood Woman’s Club in Santa Barbara.

Founded by ceramics teacher Danyel Dean in 1998, Empty Bowls is a fundraiser for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. For $25, you get the handmade bowl of your choice donated by a local artist, plus a lunch of soups and breads donated by more than a dozen Santa Barbara restaurants. Even better, the proceeds go to help feed the county’s hungry. According to Dean, almost half of them are under 18. In the last 12 years, she says, Empty Bowls has given more than $850,000 to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. What a little soup can do.

So, if you’re looking for something to do Sunday, take a drive to Santa Barbara and get yourself a new bowl while helping the hungry at the same time. Call the Foodbank at (805) 585-5244 for tickets beforehand.

For more information, call Danyel Dean at (805) 969-1820. Rockwood Woman’s Club, 670 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara. Seatings at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m.

-- S. Irene Virbila